[This is a syllabus for a course that is currently not scheduled. It is part of a learning exercise designed as the final project for the Open Knowledge Fellowship, Winter 2026.]

This course is a broad, very broad introductory survey of the theories and concepts central to the study of international relations (IR). It is designed to achieve two objectives: (1) to introduce you to the most important topics and puzzles in the field, giving you the tools to join “the conversation”, and (2) to prepare you to think critically and thoroughly about current and past international phenomena. This class aims to help you achieve something quite difficult these days: to behold in passing. We receive so many, many, much news. War and death and violence and international crisis and failed accords are all over the place, on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Substack, TikTok… And we are supposed to make sense of all of that. We are supposed to make sense of all of this, all at once. And do it quickly, because something new just happened, and we have to move to the next issue. Let us behold in passing, taking some time to think and talk about the many questions the field is trying (and will keep trying) to answer. How do both states and non-state actors shape world politics? To what extent are relations among states in the international system characterized by conflict and rivalry? Why do disagreements sometimes escalate to the point of war? What conditions impede cooperation among states, and what factors foster global cooperation? These are some of the questions we will explore throughout this term.  

Who am I?

This is the first thing you and I have in common: I am a student. I am a Ph.D. student at the City University of New York, The Graduate Center, majoring in international relations and minoring in comparative politics. I say this for one reason. I want you to think about this class as a community of learning. Together, we will learn. I will teach you something, and you will teach us something. I know a couple of things that you don’t, and I am sure you know a couple of others that I don’t. More about me here and here. 

---

This class was not designed from scratch. I drew on ideas and inspiration from many great syllabi I found online, as well as from syllabi colleagues kindly and generously shared. Some day, you probably will be designing your own class, so note that the American Political Science Association (APSA) offers excellent resources that will help you in that task. For this class, I found these to be particularly useful.

• Besserer-Rayas, Andrés. PSC 10300. Intro to World Politics. The City College of New York, CUNY. Spring 2021.
• Corredor-García, Juan. POL 268. Comparative Politics. Lehman College, CUNY. Fall 2025.
• Romaniuk, Peter. PSC76000. Basic Theories and Concepts in International Relations. The Graduate Center, CUNY. Fall 2024.
• Hitch, Ryan. PSCI 25000: Contemporary Issues in International Relations. The City College of New York, CUNY. Fall 2025.